Guide apparatus for power hand tools

ABSTRACT

A guide apparatus on which a power saw or other power tool can be removably mounted to guide the power tool along a straight line and for clamping a work piece while the power tool is cutting or otherwise performing work on the work piece. The guide apparatus includes at least one rail, rocker arms and support means that form a parallelogram.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present invention is based on provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/599,246, filed Aug. 6, 2004.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to guide apparatus for power hand tools and in particular to apparatus for quickly and easily clamping a work piece and guiding a power tool such as a circular saw or chain saw along a straight line to cut a work piece.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Craftsmen of many trades often have needs to make straight line cuts or similar operations with hand tools, and especially those craftsmen in the wood-working trades. The most common tools in that field include the power circular saws, reciprocating saws, chain saws, band saws, routers, cutters, grinders, torches, etc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides apparatus for clamping a work piece and guiding a power hand tool along a straight line to cut or otherwise perform work on the work piece. The apparatus includes a guide rail and a pair of rocker/swing arms pivoted with respect to the guide rail and with respect to a parallel support such as a work bench, ceiling or support rail to form a parallelogram. A carrier is slidably mounted on the guide rail for mounting a power tool that is movable along the guide rail. This invention is suited for commercial manufacture and sale of a kit comprising only the carrier or the carrier and rocker arms and for the customer to provide the guide rail or rails. Alternatively the entire apparatus including the guide rail or rails could be included in the kit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable model of guide apparatus of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the guide apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the guide apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the guide apparatus of FIGS. 1-3 taken along line A-A of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the guide apparatus of FIGS. 1-4 with the apparatus supported on two saw horses.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a carrier assembly for guide apparatus of this invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portable model of guide apparatus of this invention with a power circular saw mounted on it and the apparatus sitting on a work bench.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of guide apparatus of this invention with a chain saw mounted on the carrier assembly.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of guide apparatus of the invention with a circular saw mounted on the carrier assembly.

FIG. 10 is an end view of an alternative embodiment of guide apparatus of this invention which is ceiling mounted.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the guide apparatus shown in FIG. 10.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are perspective views of ceiling mounted guide apparatus of this invention.

FIG. 14 is an end view of an alternative use of guide apparatus of this invention with router mounted on it.

FIG. 15 is a top plan view of the guide apparatus of FIG. 14.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1-5 show a portable embodiment of guide apparatus 20 of this invention. The guide apparatus includes guide track 22, support rails 25, rocker arms 26, a tool carrier (carrier assembly) 28 and a support beam 30. The carrier assembly 28 has a hole or opening 29 through it for the blade of a power saw or other tool (not shown) to extend through the carrier. A work surface 32 upon which a work piece 24 is positioned to be cut or otherwise worked is shown in position between the guide track 22 and the support rails 25. A power tool, not shown, such as a circular saw or chain saw can be mounted on the carrier assembly 28. The guide apparatus 20 is in the shape of a parallelogram as is best seen in FIG. 3. It has pivot pins 34 extending through both ends of the guide track 22 and the tops of the rocker arms 26 and through both ends of the support rails 25 and the bottoms of the rocker arms. 26. The pivot pins 34 permit the rocker arms 26 to rotate as shown by the arrows in FIG. 3 so the guide track 22 will move downwardly to clamp the work piece 24 between the guide track and the support rails 25 as is best shown in FIG. 5. The weight of the guide track 22, carrier assembly 28 and power tool, not shown, provide adequate clamping force to secure the work piece 24 in position while it is being cut or otherwise worked by the power tool. The guide apparatus 20 preferably includes a chain 36 or other stop means to limit the collapse or folding of the guide apparatus to one direction only (FIG. 5). This means that the guide apparatus 20 is stable in the open position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the upper guide track 22 comprises a support beam 30 between two pieces of angle iron (guide rails 23). The guide track 22 could also be one piece of metal such as an extruded piece of aluminum with an open rectangular cut out of its center (to save weight) with two flanges on it to accommodate the rollers on the carrier assembly 28. The support means (rails 25) could also be a single piece, either metal or wood and need not be straight. For example, the apparatus could be adapted to cut a thick work piece of 6-12 or more inches thick by attaching a block of appropriate thickness on both ends of a 2×6 and locate the upper pivot for the guide track near the top of each block. In other words, the use of angle irons for the guide track and the lower support rails 25 is a matter of convenience, cost and simplicity. The lower support (rails 25) could in fact be a work surface itself. The work surface would provide the desired rigidity and could be either relatively narrow for cutting straight lumber or wide for cutting panels such as plywood or other similar types of operations. The bottom support means could also be permanently fixed or could be designed to accommodate work surfaces or jigs. Support rails 25 may also be attached under the edge of a work table which would be used as a work surface. The guide rails 23 and support rails can be of any length such as 8, 12 or 16 feet depending on the size of the work piece to be cut or otherwise worked.

The parts of the carrier assembly 28 are shown in the blown-up view of FIG. 6. The carrier assembly 28 includes a carrier bottom 1, a carrier top 3, which are preferably bolted or otherwise fixedly secured together, and has several holes 18 in it for receiving bolts for securing a power tool to the carrier. The carrier assembly 28 has guide rollers assemblies on it comprised of rollers 5 mounted on the assembly with bolts 16, washers 14, and spacers 6 so it can be easily slid or rolled along the length of the guide rails 22. A thumb screw 13 and brake bar 2 facilitate locking the carrier assembly 28 on the guide rails. A crowder bar 4 on the assembly 28 is spring loaded and transmits uniform pressure through back guide roller 5 to secure the carrier to the rails and accommodate any dimensional variations in the entire assembly and to facilitate removal of the carrier assembly 28 from the guide rail 22. The extended handle portion of the crowder bar 4 provides a convenient grip for easy removal of the carrier from the guide rail 22 of the guide apparatus 20. In its simplest form, crowder bar 4 is a lever that pivots about bolt 16. Stud 8 is welded to the bar 4. Bearing 10 presses into roller 5, bearing 10 and roller 5 assembly fits onto stud 8, standoff bushing 7 and torsion spring 9 is attached to the carrier with bolt 16 and nut 12. Torsion spring 9 rotates crowder bar 4 and bearing and roller assembly clockwise to engage roller 5 with the rail under a specific pressure thus eliminating any slack in the roller system. One feature of the apparatus is that it can be easily mounted on the guide track 22 and easily removed therefrom. The extended portion of the crowder bar 4 is to provide a mechanical advantage such that the operator can easily disengage the spring loaded roller 5 from the guide track 22 and conveniently lift the carrier assembly 28 off the guide track. The four u-shaped depressions 40 in the carrier are to ensure proper alignment of all three rollers 5 to facilitate fast and convenient mounting of the carrier to the guide track 22. When mounting the carrier assembly 28 onto the guide rails 23, the depressions 40 help to establish the height of the carrier assembly relative to the rails, thereby guiding the rails into the grooves in the rollers 5 (see FIG. 4).

FIG. 7 shows a portable guide apparatus 20 of this invention sitting on a work bench 37. As shown in this figure, the guide apparatus 20 includes a handle 38 on one end thereof to facilitate folding/closing and unfolding/opening the space between the guide track 22 and the support rails 25.

FIG. 8 shows a chain saw 52 mounted on a guide apparatus 20 with the saw blade 54 projecting downwardly through the opening 29 in the carrier assembly 28. FIG. 9 shows a circular saw 56 mounted on a guide apparatus 20 with the saw blade 58 projecting downwardly through the opening 29 in the carrier assembly 28. The support rails 25 are shown resting on a saw horse 60.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show an alternative embodiment guide apparatus 42 of this invention which is fixedly secured to the ceiling 44 of a work shop. The ceiling 44 forms one side of the parallelogram of the apparatus, and the guide track 46 forms the opposite side of the parallelogram. Swing arms 48 form the ends of the parallelogram. The swing/rocker arms 48 facilitate raising and lowering the guide track 46. As shown, the guide track 46 can be moved from the lower position resting on a work bench 50 to a raised, storage position flush or close to flush with the ceiling 44.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show the ceiling mounted guide apparatus 42 of this invention which includes a locking bar 64 secured to the side of latch hanger 62 and releasably secured to one of the swing arms 48 for temporarily securing the guide apparatus in a raised position above the work bench 66. Two safety latch hangers 62 preferably secure the apparatus in a stored position substantially flush against the ceiling 44. The weight of the guide track 46, carrier 63, and power tool 65 secures the work piece 69 on the work surface/table 66.

There are two ways to raise the guide track 46, carrier 63, and power tool assembly 65, by hand or some sort of mechanical device such as a winch or the like. As seen in FIG. 13, a winch control 68 is hanging from the ceiling 44. For those who do not want or need a winch system may raise it by pulling the guide track 46 to the right thus pivoting the long rocker arm 48 upward toward the ceiling 44. The assembly 42 must be supported in the up position while placing a work piece in position. The winch can be stopped at will. The narrow wood locking bar 64, angled down and to the left has a notch 59 in it and is supported within the V-shaped opening of the rocker arm 48 by a ⅜ inch steel rod 67. When the guide track 46 is pulled/raised to a predetermined height the narrow notched bar 64 being pivotably attached to the ceiling 44 causes the notch 59 in the bar 64 to engage the rod 67 thus securing the guide track and carrier 63 in the up position. To disengage and lower the guide track 46, the operator grasps the handle 61 provided on the end of the guide track 46 and pulls it slightly and disengages the notch 59 from the rod 67 and lowers it slightly before lowering the smooth portion to again rest on the steel rod and then the guide track onto the work piece 69.

The raised position of a guide assembly of this invention as shown in FIG. 12 is referred to as the “cocked position”. The other raised position (see FIG. 11) is the storage position, which has the advantage of conveniently storing the unit completely out of the way and essentially out of sight, thus freeing up all tables and work surfaces below for other types of work. Regardless of whether the unit is raised to the storage position by hand or by wench, it is advantageous to have a convenient and safe means to accomplish this. Just to the right of the ceiling attachment point of the notched bar 64 is a short spring loaded latch hanger 62 with a notch 71 on the lower end to engage the handle 61 on the end of the guide track 46 when it is raised to the storage position. As the unit is raised, the handle 61 engages the slope, pushing the hanger latch 62 to the right and then snaps over the topside of the notch/ledge.

Conceptually, only one hanger latch is required. However gravity may produce an undesirable strain on the pivot points and the strain increases exponentially as the guide track approaches the ceiling. To avoid possible extreme or even destructive strain on the system, the guide track and support rails/ceiling should never be moved so close together so as to make the substantially parallel to the other longer sides. Therefore, to reduce the strain on the overhead unit, two identical latch hangers are preferred with adequate length (approximately one foot) so as to reduce the strain on the unit and provide redundant safety to any craftsman working below.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show a possible use of guide apparatus 70 of this invention, which includes three carrier assemblies 72, 74, and 76 assembled together and mounted on a guide rails 78 and 88. One guide assembly 74 is shown with a router 80 mounted on. This combination of the guide rail 78 and multiple carrier assemblies facilitates bidirectional movement of the router 80 to cut/route a work piece 82. Carriers 72 and 76 are slidably mounted on guide rail 78, and carrier 74 is slidably mounted on guide rail 88. One end of guide rail 88 is secured to carrier 76, and a connector 86 connects carriers 72 and 76 so carriers 72 and 76 and guide rail 88 move as a unit. Stops 90 on guide rail 88 and stops 92 on guide rail 78 limit the travel of the carriers 72, 74 and 76 on the guide rails to establish the path that the router 80 will travel and thereby establish the path of the groove 94 that will be cut/routed in the work piece 82. Stops 92 can be positioned in abutting relation to carriers 72 and 76 to prevent those carriers from movement as the router 80 routes the work piece 82 perpendicular to the guide track 78, and stops 90 can be positioned in abutting relation to carrier 74 to prevent its movement as the router routes the work piece parallel to the guide rail 78.

It is therefore seen from the figures and the above description that this invention provides inexpensive and convenient apparatus for clamping a work piece in position and guiding a power tool to cut or otherwise perform work on the work piece, which could be wood, metal or other material. The apparatus can be used with a variety of power tools such as circular saws, reciprocating saws, chain saws, band saws, routers, cutters, grinders, and torches and can be used to perform a variety of operations that are normally performed by panel saws, table saws, chop saws, jointers, and/or metal roofing shearers. In accordance with this invention, the guide rails and carrier also have utility, separate from the rocker arms and support rails, for a variety of purposes. For example, an assembly of only the guide rails and carrier can be used with a chain saw to saw boards from logs. Additionally, in accordance with this invention, the guide rails and carrier can be quickly and easily disassembled from the rocker arms/swing arms for such separate use. It is also noted that apparatus of this invention could form a trapezoid (only two sides of which need be parallel) instead of a parallelogram. Each corner of the trapezoid becomes the pivot point and every time it is raised and lowered to the original trapezoidal position the work piece would be clamped properly and the upper guide and the lower member would be parallel. However, this unit can only have one shut/closed height, and any other position other than the original trapezoidal position would not be parallel with each other.

While particular aspects of the present invention and preferred embodiments are shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that numerous variations of the details can be made without departing from the invention as described in the appended claims. 

1. Guide apparatus for power hand tools comprising a guide track, a tool carrier slidably mounted on the guide track, two rocker arms pivotably attached to the guide track at spaced pivots on the guide track and pivotably attached to a support means disposed parallel to said guide track to form a parallelogram therewith for raising and lowering the guide track with respect to a work piece.
 2. Guide apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said support means comprises at least one support rail.
 3. Guide apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said support means is a ceiling.
 4. Guide apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said guide track and carrier can be quickly and easily disassembled from said rocker arms and support means for use as a separate unit.
 5. Guide apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said tool carrier includes holes in it for securing a power tool to it, an opening for a blade of a power tool to fit through, and rollers for facilitating slidable travel of the carrier and power tool thereon along a guide rail.
 6. Guide apparatus for power hand tools comprising a guide track, support means parallel with said guide track, rocker arms pivotably attached to the guide track and the support rails to form a parallelogram that can be folded against a work piece positioned between the guide track and the support rails, and a tool carrier slidably mounted on the guide track for mounting a power hand tool thereon.
 7. A power tool guide kit comprising a tool carrier and two rocker arms, said tool carrier having rollers on it for slidable travel along a guide rail and having an opening through it for the blade of a power tool to fit through, said rocker arms having pivot pins associated therewith for pivotable connection to at least one guide rail and a support means to form a parallelogram comprising said rocker arms, guide rail and support means.
 8. A kit as set forth in claim 7 that includes at least one guide rail.
 9. A kit as set forth in claim 8 that includes at least one support rail.
 10. A kit as set forth in claim 7 in which said rocker arms are adapted to be pivotably secured to the ceiling of a building.
 11. A kit as set forth in claim 10 that includes at least one locking bar for locking the guide apparatus in a storage position substantially flush with said ceiling.
 12. A tool carrier for a power tool guide apparatus, said carrier having means on it for mounting a power tool thereon, an opening for a cutting blade on said power tool, and a plurality of rollers for mounting said carrier on a guide rail for the carrier to be moved on the guide rail along a straight line and cut a work piece.
 13. A carrier as set forth in claim 12 having a spring loaded crowder bar on it for locking the carrier on a guide rail.
 14. A carrier as set forth in claim 12 that has holes in it for receiving bolts to secure a power tool on the carrier.
 15. Guide apparatus for a power tool comprising a first guide track, at least one carrier slidably mounted on said first guide track, a second guide track having one end thereof fixedly secured to said at least one carrier, a second carrier slidably mounted on said second guide track for mounting of a power tool thereon, and adjustable stops on said first and second guide tracks for adjustable securement of said carriers on said guide tracks.
 16. Guide apparatus as set forth in claim 15 which includes a third carrier slidably mounted on said first guide track and connected to said at least one carrier for slidable travel of said at least one carrier and said third carrier as a unit.
 17. Guide apparatus as set forth in claim 16 which includes a connector bar that connects said at least one carrier to said third carrier. 